Crafting Dialogue: Tension and Conflict
There are several ways to build tension. One way is to use
negative dialogue. Fiction readers face dialogue in their daily
life, and there are certain types and aspects of communication
that clever writers can use to trigger emotions in the reader.
Some of these types of dialogue can define characters, set
scenes, and create moods.
Toxic Communication
Toxic communication includes backstabbing, gossiping,
slander, libel, tainting someone's reputation, and any type of
dialogue that causes harm to another person. Overdoing this type
of communication is amateurish, but in the hands of the right
writer, it is effective. Jill stepped back, "really?"
Ann, "What's wrong?"
Jill turned her head, "nothing."
"Do you trust him?"
"I wouldn't ask her for help."
"I'll do it myself before I trust them."
Statements like this in dialogue can do one of two things.
First, if the antagonist, villain, uses the statement, it can be
used to prejudice the reader against the villain. Second, if the
protagonist, Hero, uses these words, then it can foreshadow the
fact that they are talking about the antagonist. Toxic
communication, in the work place and between friends, causes
tension. Using phrases that cause in a story will cause tension
in the reader as they read.
Obstacles to Good Communication
Obstacles of good communication can be used to foreshadow,
create mood, or as a conflict. A fear of speaking or fear of
rejection can create a great emotional problem for the character
to grow out of, or a good conflict.
The obstacles to clean communication are obvious:
Fear of speaking
Fear of rejection
Fear of embarrassment
Self-rejection if the outcome is negative
Possible damage to self-esteem
Inability to think in complete sentences
Speaker speaks in passive voice
Inexperience/lack of skill with the language
Social submission
Emotional Triggers
Only two of these refers to the speaker's ability to
communicate, the rest are based in the speaker's emotional
triggers. These triggers are situations that bring to mind a bad
memory from the past. The spelling bee where child stuttered on
the letter 's' and everyone laughed, a look of disgust from a
teacher at a poorly written paper, constantly being told to
shut-up or telling a child they are stupid.
Each person must set individual goals and raise the benchmark
slightly. Then they must strive to overcome each goal. This is
one of the fundamental principals of happiness. Confucius, to
Buddha, to Jesus, to today's philosophers all consider this as a
one of the basic stepping stone on the journey to
self-actualization. It is also the foundation for building good
verbal communication skills. This is a good goal to have fiction
characters reach at the end of a story. And, one way to make a
character growth arc believable, is to have the character's
communication improve after the black moment.
Good Dialogue
